Line #4 Trivia/TheDarkKnight


1	* ActorInspiredElement: It's noticeable for all of a few seconds, but during the hospital scene (the only scene in which the Joker doesn't wear gloves), there's makeup visible on Creator/HeathLedger's fingers. He came up with this detail to emphasize the idea that the Joker applied his own makeup.
2	* AdoredByTheNetwork: In France, the movie theater chain UGC ''loves'' Creator/ChristopherNolan, so much so that in their annual "UGC Culte" cycle of re-releases, there's invariably two Nolan films, one of which is invariably ''The Dark Knight'' (the other is often either ''Film/{{Inception}}'' or ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'').
3	* AllStarCast:
4	** Specifically Creator/ChristianBale, Creator/MichaelCaine, Creator/HeathLedger, Creator/MaggieGyllenhaal, Creator/GaryOldman, Creator/AaronEckhart, and Creator/MorganFreeman. Multi-decade spanning name recognition? Check. Critical acclaim? Check. [[RuleOfThree Awards cache]]? Check and the mate.
5	** Some well-known character actors (Creator/AnthonyMichaelHall, Creator/MichaelJaiWhite, Creator/TinyLister, Creator/ChinHan, Creator/EricRoberts, Creator/WilliamFichtner, and Creator/NestorCarbonell) round out the cast.
6	* BannedInChina: A rare example of self-censorship. Warner Bros. declined to submit it to Chinese film authorities for review, fearing that the portrayal of Lau as a criminal accountant and implication that Hong Kong police were corrupt would cause backlash. However, the film ended up being one of the most bootlegged titles in the country.
7	* BeamMeUpScotty:
8	** ComicBook/TheJoker is often mis-quoted as asking "Do I look like a man with a plan?" when Harvey Dent says that [[spoiler: his (Harvey's) disfigurement and the death of Rachel Dawes]] was part of his (the Joker's) plan, most likely because people associate the rhyming words "man" and "plan". The quote is actually "Do I really look like a guy with a plan?"
9	** "Why so serious?" isn't really the Joker's catchphrase. He only says the phrase in a fierce tone when pretending to be his dad, and the one time he says it as himself he says it almost sarcastically. He actually chides the mob for ''not'' taking things seriously. This one can be attributed to the advertising, as multiple posters centered around the "why so serious?" tagline before the film came out.
10	** [[https://imgflip.com/meme/33237391/Joker-Everyone-Loses-Their-Minds Memes]] referencing the Joker's "Part of the plan" monologue often misquote him as saying "nobody bats an eye." What he actually says is "nobody panics."
11	* CaliforniaDoubling:
12	** Chicago not only plays Gotham, it even plays Hong Kong: When Fox and Lau are conversing on the terraced roof of Lau's Hong Kong office, you can clearly see [=McCormick=] Place in the background.
13	** The "Gotham" license plates seen on cars throughout the movie look like Illinois plates, for the specific purpose of making it harder to notice when actual Illinois plates slip in the background.
14	* DeletedRole: For the Latin dub, Creator/IrwinDaayan voiced the Joker in the trailers, before Creator/JoseAntonioMacias was chosen for the part.
15	* DevelopmentGag: When Fox is asked for improvements to the Batsuit, he remarks, "You want to be able to turn your head." ''The Dark Knight'' was the first Batman film to design an articulated neck for the Batsuit, with all previous costumes leaving the actor's head rigidly stuck forward. Christian Bale's complaints finally led to the redesign.
16	* DirectedByCastMember: Heath Ledger directed and shot the two home videos the Joker sends to the media (both the one where he tortures and kills the fake Batman, then the one where a captive Mike Engel is forced to read a script of the Joker's demands).
17	* EnforcedMethodActing:
18	** Rachel not being able to look the Joker in the face while he's threatening her is because Creator/MaggieGyllenhaal was so terrified by Heath Ledger's performance in the full makeup that she couldn't look at him that close. Creator/MichaelCaine can also be seen jumping in the background when Joker fires his gun because he was also terrified by the look (he even forgot his line in the process).
19	** The officer who takes the knives out of the Joker's pockets wasn't told what would be inside them, resulting in a notable moment when the actor double takes upon pulling out a potato peeler.
20	* FakeAmerican: The Australian Creator/HeathLedger gives the Joker a Chicago-based accent.
21	* FakeRussian: The Chechen, head of the Russian Mafiya, is played by the British Creator/RitchieCoster.
22	* FatalMethodActing: Cameraman Conway Wickliffe was killed as he rode in a pickup truck driving parallel to a stunt car; the pickup missed a 90-degree turn and crashed into a tree.
23	* FollowTheLeader:
24	** The film had a profound impact on action movies after it came out. The emphasis on more realism, practical effects, more terrorist-flavored villains, and the feeling that AnyoneCanDie without warning influenced franchises from James Bond to The Avengers to Star Trek. In particular, the CapturedOnPurpose (villain gets caught in the second act, causes death and mayhem, and then escapes while the heroes acknowledge "he ''wanted'' to get caught!") began getting used a lot after the Joker used it.
25	** The Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse, perhaps hoping for the same lightning to strike twice, also recycled this film's excellent and appropriate use of gritty realism for several of their subsequent movies, whether or not the darker tone was a good complement to the different source material. Critical reception to these choices has been decidedly mixed.
26	* MethodActing: To prepare for the part of the Joker, Heath Ledger spent six weeks in a motel room in seclusion to delve deep into his intended portrayal of the Joker's psychology.
27	** In an interview for the film, Ledger revealed that one of the reasons he went to such extremes because after he was cast, he watched ''Film/{{Batman\|1989}}'', which of course had Creator/JackNicholson as The Joker. Ledger related that Nicholson's performance was so powerful and spot-on that he simply could not get it out of his head, and didn't want to have his Joker simply be a weak copy of Nicholson's. Finally, after all that time in that motel room, he created his own unique take on the character.
28	* OneTakeWonder:
29	** The hospital scene, where the Joker totters out of Gotham General with the hospital exploding around him. The explosion stops for several seconds, causing the Joker to fiddle with the detonator, before the explosions suddenly continue. Heath Ledger does not break character (with rumors about how it was a mistake by the effects team abounding, though it turns out it was entirely intentional), nor does he even turn to watch the explosion even when he gets on the bus. Everything is executed perfectly, resulting in one of the most memorable scenes in the movie.
30	** In the DVD Extras, it's mentioned that they only purchased two Lamborghinis for the scene in which Bruce Wayne blocks the truck driver's attempt at running over Coleman Reese. It wasn't the end of the world if they got it wrong on both takes, but splashing a million dollars on two cars is naturally not exactly the optimal scenario. However, everything went right on the first try.
31	* TheOtherDarrin:
32	** Creator/MaggieGyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes in ''Dark Knight'', replacing Creator/KatieHolmes from ''Begins''.
33	** In the Mexican dub:
34	*** Creator/SalvadorDelgado and Creator/JoseLavat replaced Rolando de Castro and Armando Réndiz (''Begins'') as Gordon and Alfred in the sequels.
35	*** Creator/BlasGarcia replaced Creator/GerardoVasquez as Commissioner Loeb in this film.
36	* PlayingAgainstType: One of the reasons people were so skeptical about Creator/HeathLedger playing ComicBook/TheJoker was that he wasn't known for villainous roles, let alone one of the most psychotic and monstrous characters in fiction, usually playing romantic leads. As we can see from the result, Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad.
37	* PlayingWithCharacterType: Creator/TinyLister is an actor whose [[Film/NoHoldsBarred been typecast]] [[Film/{{Friday}} as violent, scary men]]. Therefore, anyone familiar with his past characters would probably expect him to just blow up the other ship rather than throw away the bomb's detonator.
38	* PropRecycling: The Joker's full-auto Glock was originally part of [[GunsAkimbo a matching set]] used by Creator/BradPitt in the ending of ''Film/MrAndMrsSmith2005''.
39	* RealitySubtext: Bruce Wayne requesting a new Batsuit from Fox so that he can turn his head and be more agile, was the result of Creator/ChristianBale complaining about these problems with his Batsuit from the first movie, as well as a gag on the fact that this was the ''first'' big screen Batsuit that let the actor turn their head.
40	* ReferencedBy: In ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', at one point during their fight in Happy's apartment, Peter has the Green Goblin pinned against a wall and is pummelling his face - and the Goblin only laughs.
41	* RefittedForSequel: Creator/ChristopherNolan and David S. Goyer had originally considered using Dent in ''Film/BatmanBegins'', but they realized they "couldn't do him justice", so they gave his role to Rachel Dawes.
42	* RoleReprise:
43	** In the Canadian French dub, the Joker is voiced by Gilbert Lachance, reprising his role from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm''.
44	** In the Mexican dub, despite the recasting of Rachel Dawes in the actual movie, Creator/EricaEdwards still voices the character.
45	* StarMakingRole: Creator/HeathLedger was far from unknown prior to the film and was well-known as a romantic actor, and had an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination on his resume. But his turn as the Joker is remembered as the one that immortalized his legacy after his death and made him into a household name.
46	* ThrowItIn:
47	** ComicBook/TheJoker's SarcasticClapping when Gordon gets promoted wasn't in the script.
48	** A lot of the Joker's mannerisms were developed when Heath Ledger was getting his makeup done, and would scrunch up his face to create different textures for the makeup - which made his makeup appear more self-applied. The creepy way in which the Joker licks his lips was one of these; he was genuinely irritated by the feel of the scar prosthetics.
49	** When the Joker arrives at Bruce's fundraiser, he walks out of an elevator past Alfred. Michael Caine (playing Alfred) had a line at that point. However, this was his first time seeing Heath Ledger in full costume as the Joker and he was so surprised that he forgot his line, with Ledger walking by as though nothing had happened.
50	** The actor who frisks Joker was told to take out the knives in his pockets, but wasn't given details on what would be in them (apart from 'knives') which is why he stops inquisitively to look at the potato peeler.
51	** Reportedly, Joker sticking his thumb in Dent's trigger was not intentional. Ledger did that while filming either as improv, gun safety, or happenstance.
52	* TomHanksSyndrome: Strange to see Tiny "Zeus" Lister acting as a calm voice of reason. He doesn't even raise his voice once in the whole scene. If you go and watch other films, he is usually the growly antagonist. (He was also the President of either America or the world in ''Film/TheFifthElement''!)
53	* {{Typecasting}}: Ron Dean playing Mike Wuertz, one of Gordon's detectives. He behaves similarly to his performance as Detective Kelly in ''Film/TheFugitive''.
54	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
55	** Creator/PaulBettany, Creator/AdrienBrody, Creator/SamRockwell, Creator/GeoffreyRush, Creator/WillemDafoe and Creator/RobinWilliams were considered for the part of the [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker Joker]] before Creator/HeathLedger was cast. Williams was previously approached for the role of the Joker in ''Film/{{Batman\|1989}}''
56	** Creator/MattDamon and Creator/HughJackman were approached for the part of [[ComicBook/TwoFace Harvey Dent]] before the casting of Creator/AaronEckhart. Damon turned it down due to scheduling commitments to ''Film/{{Invictus}}''.
57	*** Creator/LievSchreiber, Creator/RyanPhillippe, Creator/JoshLucas and Creator/MarkRuffalo were considered for the role of Harvey Dent as well before the casting of Eckhart.
58	** Creator/SarahMichelleGellar, Creator/RachelMcAdams, Creator/EmilyBlunt and Creator/IslaFisher were considered to replace Creator/KatieHolmes as Rachel Dawes before Creator/MaggieGyllenhaal was cast.
59	** Creator/JamesGandolfini and Creator/BobHoskins read for the part of Sal Maroni before Creator/EricRoberts was cast.
60	** Gambol [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/dark-knight-michael-jai-white-explains-gambols-death-scene-1125924 wasn't originally going to be killed]] by the Joker. He was initially meant to survive his confrontation with the Joker, who rather than kill him, was going to give him a Glasgow smile like his own, opening the possibility of Creator/MichaelJaiWhite returning as Gambol in a later sequel. However, after Ledger's death, Nolan chose to cut all of Gambol's further scenes during editing due to unknown reasons. Even so, the canonicity of this idea is disputed because some fans claim to see Gambol later in the movie and the screenplay itself doesn't state if Gambol died.
61	** ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_The_Dark_Knight_(video_game) Batman: The Dark Knight]]'' was going to be an action stealth game based on ''The Dark Knight'', for the Platform/PlayStation3 and Platform/Xbox360.
62	* WorkingTitle: Warner Bros. tried to hide the movie's development by calling it "Rory's First Kiss".

Context Trivia / TheDarkKnight